Another Song Will Rise
by Hannah the Scribe
Summary: (Before the Music Dies Legacy) The tributes experienced pain, fear, and death. But here, some of them found love.
1. A New Dawn: Newcomb and Callia

**A New Dawn: Newcomb Birambau, District 3 Male Tribute **

_Maps of the Future_

When I woke up in the morning, the only person who was awake yet was Callia, since she'd been on watch. Even if she hadn't been, it wouldn't have come as that much of a shock that she was up. It seemed like it was a bit before dawn-there were still stars out, and the sky was just starting to give in to that part-night-part-day shade of blue, sort of like Callia's eyes-and I didn't know why I'd woken up after such a short amount of time, or, at least, what seemed like it. "Morning," I said, careful not to wake the others. I walked over to where she was, which was a bit closer to the stream. And, no, it did not, in fact, escape my notice that she still had the knife in her hand.

She jumped a bit, but then relaxed. "Morning."

"I can watch now, if you want to get some sleep," I offered, sitting down next to her and noting that she seemed like she could use a good night's rest. "I'm not that tired." That last part was definitely a lie.

She shrugged. "I'm all right. Thanks for offering, though." _Be frustrating, then._

After that, I stayed up anyways, unable to go back to sleep and wanting to spend some time with Callia when our allies weren't... awake. I felt sort of... jumpy. For once, I felt the need to talk, to say something, _anything, _just to break the silence. It was sort of weird to sit there next to a person who was _holding a knife in a place where she was allowed (encouraged) to kill you_, and not say anything at all. Not that I thought that Callia was going to break off the alliance. I guessed that I probably trusted her the most, above Namitha and Link, partially because she was the only person that I'd ever really asked to be allies with. Plus, I couldn't deny that I wanted her to win the Games. Maybe that was why I was feeling nervous...

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" I asked, hoping it wasn't too much of a stupid thing to say, which wasn't a feeling I got too often.

Not even looking at me, she answered, "I figured that we could try to map out the area."

"Sounds good," I agreed. It really was a great plan. "Are you planning on waking the other two at any point?" I didn't want her to, but I knew we'd have to, eventually.

"Probably around dawn or something," Callia said. "I mean, there's no sense in wasting daylight."

"Very true." My talkative phase was apparently over. I'd run out of things to say already. But I wanted to ask something else.

"So... your uncle; he's the mayor, right?"

"Of District Three, yes," Callia said absently, quietly.

_Stupid! _I chided myself. _Of course her uncle's the mayor! You both _live _in Three, remember?_

"And... um..." I was freezing up again, just like I always did. I was so sick of this.

"And... what?" Callia asked softly. It was weird-she was probably the person that was the reason why I kept freezing up, but her presence was somehow reassuring.

"Isn't it weird," I managed to start, "that we must've been going to school together since we were five, but we never met until we were both picked-" _to die _"-for the Games?"

Callia smiled, almost encouraginly, and somehow I felt proud that I was the reason that she did. "I guess it is. The Games have their way of bringing people together, huh?"

"Yeah," I agreed.

We sat in silence, peacefully, until the sun really started to rise and the light of a new dawn washed over us.

Maybe today'd be the day that I managed to tell her how I really felt.


	2. The Key to Everything: Carolina and York

**The Key to Everything: Carolina Rowan, District 12 Female Tribute **

_Small Flier_

York-the person that I think I really _needed _to see for reassurance-was my next visitor. He was technically my best friend, and helped me get some more food sometimes. I relied on him, and somedays I think he relied on me-we couldn't survive without each other. I'd always felt safer at his house, when father was in one of his moods...

"You have to come back," he said, not bothering with a "hello". "Lina, there are people that care about you here. Your parents, my family... _me._"

"I will," I promised, though my voice shook when I spoke. "I swear it."

He sat down next to me on the couch and pulled something out of his pocket, handing it to me. "Here," he said, "you can use this as your token. For good luck." His tone implied that it was supposed to mean something more, something that he didn't say out loud. I hoped that it did, anyway. Maybe it was just me seeing too far into it. Was I really _that _desperate for his attention in that sort of way?

To force the thought out of my mind, I looked down at what was now in my hand-a leather cord with a silver key dangling from it. "Remember this?" York prompted. "It's the key to that one house in the Seam." I couldn't remember what he was talking about at first, but as he was helping me put the cord around my neck, like a necklace, it came back to me.

The day we'd first met.

_ It'd been fairly late, a cold winter night with the stars just starting to come out. There'd been an event at school where you could show your parents around, and mother and I were on the way home from that when I'd heard the sound of breaking glass. We weren't too far away from our house, so once we were home I said that I felt like a walk and would be back in a few minutes. Really, I wanted to see where the noise had come from._

_ What I found when I went back to where we'd been was York, though I didn't know who he was then, inside a tiny, shack-like house in the outskirts of the Seam. Someone had lived there recently, that was clear, but whether they were dead or... I didn't even know, on a long visit to the Capitol for a some crazy reason, was beyond me. Meanwhile, shards of what had been the window in the back of the house were laying, scattered, on the ground outside, in the snow. _

_ An odd start, but when he'd heard me and turned around, I think what first drew me in, what would've drawn anyone in, was just the look on his face. There wasn't any fear or surprise, not even for a second, not a moment of hesitation before he'd walked towards the window, closer to me, seeming amused. "Well, well, well, I've got myself a little shadow, don't I? You got a name?"_

"Thank you," I barely managed to choke out as a whisper, the present reality coming back to me.

The Peacekeepers were making those signals again. The ones that meant that York had to leave. But I didn't want him to...

"I guess this is goodbye," I said.

"No. We'll see each other again. I know it." York's answer surprised even me.

"I sure hope so, York." I managed to laugh weakly just as he started to walk out the door.

At the exit to the room, one hand still on the doorframe, he spun around, facing me again. "And, Lina?"

"What?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too, York." _I really do..._


	3. Admission: Tod and Caladium

**Admission: Tod Barringer, District 6 Male Tribute **

_Why Did It Have To Be Us? _

After how the night had been going so far, I didn't feel like sticking around on the District Six floor anymore. What with Kizzy having figured out a way to steal from the training room, Mrs. Twine still trying to find out why Kizzy wasn't at dinner, and Antara, one of the mentors, ready to snap...

So I went up to the tributes' lounge, though I didn't get around to it 'till it was practically the middle of the night. It was empty when I got there, except for the girl from Nine, Cala, seeming a bit disoriented.

I had to say, I couldn't help but admire her. Maybe all of us here really did deserve to die, but I didn't think that Cala did. She was just a kid, really; but weren't we all?

Sure, she had her issues, just like the rest of us, but what made her different was that she admitted it. That took some courage, that right there.

"You got any allies?" I asked her.

She spun around a few more times than necessary until her eyes landed on me. She was still in her outfit from the opening ceremonies-the hunting one, which suited her-but her brown hair was already un-styled, flowing around her shoulders.

Then her expression turned all... scared, her blue eyes went really, really wide in fear, and she started to back away from me.

"Hey, easy there. Not in the arena yet," I reminded her. "Nothing to be scared of."

_Yeah, right, _I chided myself mentally. _Except twenty-three kids that'll be out to kill her in a week._

"A-Allies?" she echoed.

"Yeah. _Allies._" What was I doing? This girl was crazy! ... Then again, so was I.

She nodded, seeming confused. _Great. Just great. _Now if I wanted an alliance with her, I'd be stuck with someone else, too. "Who?"

It took a very long amount of time, but then she seemed to snap back into focus. "Ondrew and... and... and Lina."

Ondrew and Lina. Who were they? Ondrew was from... Nine, right? Her district partner, that would make sense... but Lina... I had no idea who she was. "What district's Lina from?"

"Last chariot..." She mumbled something that was barely comprehendable, but that was what I got out of it. Twelve, then, if this poor girl had any sanity at all.

"Why don't you add me to that list?"

Cala smiled.


	4. A Form of Passion: Chenille and Fabian

**A Form of Passion: Chenille Anders, District 1 Female Tribute **

_No Time to be Abandoned_

"Don't abandon each other. Ever."

My mentor's words hung in the air above the dining room table. Fabian's mentor, Haven, was silent, as was our escort, Feriah. No one spoke. It just wasn't practical advice for a Career-they weren't supposed to be concerned with their allies 'till the end, or even at all, depending on the Games. I wasn't going to let anything get in my way of winning these Games. Not my allies, not my mentor's advice, and certainly not anything else.

... Except maybe_ him._ Fabian.

"You should go to training now," Haven suggested quietly.

I couldn't have agreed more; I cleared my throat and stood abruptly from the table. Without another word, I started to head towards the elevator. Fabian was close behind me, clearly also eager to get out of there. Good. I'd rather go to training with him than alone.

"You have a habit of storming off without saying anything," he informed me. "And you're also not a fan of 'family breakfasts'. Both could be potentially fatal flaws of character."

"Shut up," I told him. I didn't really want him to just _ignore _me, though. Still...

"They say that anger is a form of passion."

That's when I couldn't take it for another second. I grabbed the front of his shirt and just _kissed him_, then pushed him away from me, pulling back. "Just another form of passion," I snarled. "Right?"


	5. Let it Pour: Kildaire and Kyler

**Let it Pour: Kildaire Kalitlin, District 7 Female Tribute **

_A Light Summer Rain of Tears_

We got away from the Cornucopia relatively unscathed, but Kyler seemed haunted by it. More than Charity did, even though she was the one that'd almost gotten killed.

I could still see him killing Tal, the boy from District Five, and feel his panic, even as I watched from around a corner of the simple maze surrounding the tribute plates. Charity didn't seem so grateful that he'd saved her life.

What was it that he saw in her?

"Can we just _stop_?" Charity pleaded. "It's broiling and raining _saltwater_!"

"Sure," he answered. _Oh, right, give in to _her _but not notice when I tried to suggest that we should stop to sort out the supplies..._

I stopped with them anyways. "Let's check out some of the supplies," Kyler suggested. His tone made it infuriatingly hard to get made at him. Of course, it sounded a lot more sensible coming from him than me.

We all dropped whatever supplies we had with us in to a pile underneath a tree with leaves so thick it seemed to give some shelter from the rain, and then crowded under it ourselves. "Sword and sheath. Matches-"

"Oh, right," Charity cut in. "Because those'll just do _so _much for us in the rain."

"And three blankets."

"Too hot to use them, anyways."

She wasn't right, there. I tapped Kyler's shoulder and pointed to the sun, trying to make a gesture that would show it setting, then shivered as clearly as I could.

Kyler got what I was trying to say. I think he always did, when he wanted to. "It's cold at night," he said to Charity, and I nodded. Charity just scowled.

_Be ignorant, then._

"Good point, Kildaire," he added, and I tried to not beam too obviously, avoiding looking at Charity to gauge her reaction.

Maybe she didn't notice.

That was okay; because I did.

I'd remember everything Kyler said to me.


	6. Blood Games: Namitha and Ellink

**Blood Games: Namitha Gol, District 10 Female Tribute **

It was way, way, way early in the morning when I got up on my first day of training. I threw on my clothes for the day-a simple lavender dress and dark brown cowboy boots, along with my district token, of course-the top hat with the boa and beads from Kayla and Ryan. As I braided my hair in to one tight braid, an idea came to me. I was going to get Link from the District Seven floor before training, of course, but I figured that maybe I could have some fun while doing so. I'd heard that all of the floors of the Training Center were sound-proofed separately, so if I set off the fire alarm on that floor, no one else would hear it... right?

I grinned, almost evilly, to myself, and opened the door to my room. Gavin would still be in the Tributes' Lounge-he'd said to me last night that he'd wanted to stay there for as long as possible, and hadn't said why. But it was a shame, really, he'd seemed like the type who would've loved to help me with my plan. The next person I thought of that would be willing to help me (here meaning, just join in the fun), was my mentor/cousin: Tara.

Oh, how fun it would've been to mess with Link. We could've been laughing and smiling before heading off to training...

I walked towards the end of the hallway, which was on the opposite side as the dining room, and knocked on Tara's door, as quietly as I thought would wake her up. "Tara!" I called, also quietly. "Tara!" No answer. Finally, I got sick of it and shoved open the door to her room. "Tara!" I let my voice get slightly louder, for no reason, apparently, because she wasn't there. It looked like she had been fairly recently, but she wasn't there now. _Must be in the dining room, _I thought, and walked down to the other end of the hallway automatically.

But when I got there, I found Tara, all right, but not in the way that I expected. Because no tribute expects to wake up and find their mentor lying on the floor of the dining room. Dead. Blood flowed from a wound in her stomach, and a knife lied on the floor next to her. When I looked up for just a moment, I caught the words messily scrawled in her blood on the wall:

_Welcome to the Games_

I couldn't help it; I screamed. I was frozen-I couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't _breath._ Couldn't even cry or scream again. I just couldn't function. Oh, no; no, no, no... this was, this was just _sick. _This was just a _nightmare. _I'd wake up and everything would be fine, everything would be fine, I'd go get Link just like I'd planned...

I was vaguely aware of the sound of running footsteps from behind me, and I whirled around so fast that I nearly fell off my feet. But it was just Myra, our escort, and Kashton, Gavin's mentor.

"What in Panem-" They both froze, just as I had, but neither screamed. I lifted one hand to point to the words scribbled on the wall.

"Welcome to the Games," Myra choked out as a whisper.

There was silence for just a few moments as we all stared at the scene in front of us. It was so crazy, so unbelievable... who would do such a thing? And, why?

My throat finally released the tears that I'd been holding back, and they slid silently down my face. No one said anything, until Myra finally said, very quietly, "I'll call the Peacekeepers." She walked out of the room to go find a phone.

"You should go on to training now," Kashton said, non-sympathetically. "This changes nothing."

I wanted to scream at him, to tell him that this changed _everything. _ And I did. "Are you _crazy_! This _does_ change something! This changes _everything_! I had to leave everyone else back home! Tara was the only person I had left! The only one! You'd never be able to understand that! Your mentor didn't get murdered on your first day of training, did they? _Did they?_" I could almost feel myself slipping in to hysteria.

I needed to get out of there. I needed to go home, I needed to go back to my family and Kayla and Ryan, but-no, now I just needed to talk to Link... he'd know what to do, he always did...

"You're not a child-you don't need your family here with you," he scolded. "Go. To. Training... Now, Namitha."

"But I'm a witness!" I blurted out. "I can't leave here! None of us can!" _I wanted to._ "I'm a witness to the murder of my own cousin and mentor! None of us are going _anywhere_! Not until the Peacekeepers show up and I can get my hands on whoever in Panem did this-"

"Fine. So you're a witness, technically. Big deal."

I couldn't help but scream again, concentrating on the words scrawled on the wall through the hot, salty blur of tears that was blinding me. Myra returned, looking slightly shaken. "They'll be here in just a moment," she said. "They said to not move or touch anything. And to certainly not leave."

Just as the last words were out of her mouth, there was a sharp rap on the door. She opened it with uncertainty, and three Peacekeepers came in to the room. Even they couldn't help but gasp at the scene. And behind them, in walked the president of Panem herself-President Paylor. She wasn't the "original" President Paylor from several years ago-the one who had started off as a Peacekeeper in District Eight, and ended up being sent to the Capitol, going on to become president-but she was her great-great-great-granddaughter or something like that.

Her presence was almost sort of intimidating. Her hair seemed to be its natural glossy dark brown, pulled up in to a bun. Her eyes didn't seem natural, but it was hard to tell-they were such a dark shade of brown that they appeared black, except they would flash a light brown in odd lighting. Her skin seemed natural, and fairly tan, though her facial features were all just a bit too perfect and drawn out. She was wearing a gray suit-dress type of thing.

I don't know why I was paying so much attention to her, but she was just the kind of person who made you pay attention to them when they were in the same room as you, extreme circumstances or not. "Get this all cleaned up," she instructed the Peacekeepers. "It's evidence. Take it back to the main lab. We've already gained the needed information from one supposed witness."

They started to follow her orders, and she turned to us-the District Ten team. "You are not to tell anyone about this. Only whom it is necessary to tell, and that shall be the job of the District Ten mentor. Whoever is told shall be informed that Tara Gol died of an unheard of fatal illness in her sleep. That is all. No one else is to know about this, until the whole country is informed. Even then, that is the story that you will tell. Do you all understand?"

We all nodded, a bit paralyzed in fear. The president wanted us to lie...? No, I was a fine liar, but some people I just couldn't and _wouldn't _lie to, not about something like this...

"Good. I know that this whole process seems a bit strange now, but it will all make sense fairly soon. Kashton will take over the duties of mentoring both of the District Ten tributes. You, young lady-" She turned to me. "-go to training. Immediately. Remember, do not tell anyone about any of this. Pretend that this never happened. Go!"

I all but ran from the room, not caring to stay there a second longer. I couldn't follow that last order. I couldn't, I couldn't, I couldn't do _any _of this. I was inside the elevator, but instead of hitting the button for the ground floor I was hitting the "7" button over and over and over again.

But the words still echoed in my mind: _Welcome to the Games_

Somehow, anything could become creepy when it was written in your mentor's blood on a dining room wall.

"Namitha! Namitha, what in Panem happened to you? Are you okay? What? Here, get out of the elevator..." It was Link's voice, unmistakably.

I hadn't even known that the doors were open, but then he was gently pulling me out of the elevator, on to the District Seven floor. I was being eased on to a couch in a sitting room, I thought. "What happened?"

Then the tears were taking over again, and there was nothing I could really do but sob, choking out everything that'd happened. Finding Tara dead, the call to the Peacekeepers, Kashton's apathy, the president's order that I'd been so quick to break...

This. This was better. Here, with Link. Better than staying on the District Ten floor, with the blood writing still on the wall...

"Namitha. Breathe."

I inhaled a bit too quickly, choking on air.

"Slowly... slowly... there you go."

I felt a bit calmer now, and wiped off what remained of the tears.

Link disappeared for a few seconds before I could notice, and panic started to rise in me again; he was dead, they were going to kill him, too. The way they'd killed Tara.

But then he was back, pressing a cold glass of water into my hand, and I relaxed, feeling the slightest bit of his touch when he handed me the drink.

"You're all right," he told me gently. "It'll be fine."

Somehow, he convinced me that it would.


End file.
